Talk:Tetralogy concept
Wasn't there also a color associated with each of the original games in the tetrology? Grahamburger 20:25, March 10, 2010 (UTC) :I'm curious about this as well. I have not found any official Sierra-linked statements about this, although the foreword to Wages of War in Bobbin Threadbare's QFG Series Longplay (an excellent and in-depth series that touches upon many trivial aspects of the games, with witty commentary and improvised dialogue - I recommend everybody find the time to read it) makes mention of colors for each region. If this can be verified, I'll edit these Tetrad infoboxes so you can specify colors for the shaded (currently grey) areas of the boxes. StoneFrog 21:13, March 16, 2010 (UTC) :: Oh, right, that's where I read it. I forgot. :P I'm going to guess it's non-canon then, even if it does make sense. Grahamburger 21:32, March 16, 2010 (UTC) Winter I think this is another aspect where the series moved a bit away from the tetralogy concept is the connection to Silmaria to winter. There is nothing winter about Silmaria, infact Gnome Ann, calls it a "winterless wonderland". The other three games follow seasons fairly closely, Spielburg, spring is shown (snow is melting). Shapeir talks about it being summer, and summers there are desribed as being very hot (the sun is focused on). Mordavia, definitely fall, you can see red and gold leaves on many of the trees. Silmaria on the other hand does not have anything resembling traditional winter. If anything the only thing close to being related to winter, is that its a vacation spot to avoid winter season. Sort of like how people head to the mediterranian to avoid harsh winters in the north.Baggins 11:43, March 17, 2010 (UTC) :Indeed - even Punny Bones states that he was heading to Silmaria to avoid the winter. Whereas it may have been part of the originally intended tetrad, it sure lacks any symbolic/spiritual ties to its intended season that the previous games had with theirs. To be honest, I wish the "winter" aligned game actually took place in some sort of Celtic/Norse environment (Jotunheim?). Whilst the Germanic of QFG1, Slavic of QFG4, and even Arabic of QFG2 were pretty unique, the standard Mediterranean stuff just seems done to death by fantasy games of all sorts. StoneFrog 20:26, March 17, 2010 (UTC) :: I don't think they mean that the tetralogy symbolizes the seasons -- I think this is kind of pointed out in our "spring" installment in Spielburg, where there's still snow because, geopgraphically we're in the north and spring is just starting. When you think of spring however, and what symbolizes spring, snow does not even enter the picture. However, it does take place in spring. QfG5 does take place in winter -- it's referenced a few times (including that Erasmus says, all the way back in QfG1, that Silmaria is where his winter home is). I think the Coles thought it would be clever (and I agree) to send the Hero to a winter getaway rather than to an arctic kingdom for the winter installment in the saga. Although, I do think Jotunheim would have been awesome to adventure in. Grahamburger 23:55, March 17, 2010 (UTC) ::: That would indeed be witty, if the underlying four elements/seasons concept was well known to the players back in the 90s. I suppose many may have keyed on the polar opposites in setting, especially between Spielburg and Shapeir, but until Lori/Corey explained that the tetralogy concept also served as a source of design inspiration in the magazines and chat room, don't know if many people would have got it. Of course, the four seasons aren't just inspiration for the settings of each game. More importantly, they represent the cycle of development the player goes through. In the springtime, he is a young ambitious adventurer, then by the summer, his powers and skill have heightened (much like the high sun at this time of year). Not sure about fall (perhaps the decline in life and "sleeping" of the world represents how you have far fewer allies and have to rely much more on yourself by this game), but by winter, his journey begins to come to an end and he, much to my discontent, finally settles down as king. StoneFrog 19:13, March 18, 2010 (UTC) ::: Addendum: Oh, though the games dooccur in a single year, with QFG1 in the actual spring, QFG2 in the summer, QFG4 in the autumn, QFG5 in the winter. Reinforced most notably by the Burgomeister and Dr. Cranium. Man, our hero goes from looking like an 17 year old EGA Guybrush Threepwood into a confident young adult in the course of a single year! I shudder to think what his metabolism must be like. StoneFrog 19:16, March 18, 2010 (UTC) :: That's one reason I have so much of a problem with the "single year" thing. Just seems a little speedy for my tastes. But that's what's canon so I'm gonna suck it up and deal with it. :P Grahamburger 17:16, March 19, 2010 (UTC) :::"When you think of spring however, and what symbolizes spring, snow does not even enter the picture. However, it does take place in spring." ::Actually in most definitions of spring in alpine regions, it begins when snow starts to melt and grass and flowers underneath start to grow again. Its very common to have both snow and flowers existing at the same time, at least for the first few weeks of spring. Infact the descriptions in the game make a big deal about this if you look at snow and greenery, as does the prologue to Authorized Guide. ::Also, I would argue that showing spring as being when the winter snow starts to melt, as being the best way to show spring. In many alpine places the difference between full-on spring and summer is negligible (as long as the location continues to get a good water supply during the summer). So a mid to late spring wouldn't really show up in game very well, and could end up looking just like a summer scene.Baggins 20:16, March 19, 2010 (UTC) :::I agree with you on that - I myself have no allergies *knocks on wood* and thus the later portions of Spring are completely mundane climate-wise. Spring is highlighted by rebirth and beginning, so it'd make the most sense to show it as it arrives. Not to mention the increased temperatures and avalanche are the excuse for why Abdulla, the Katta, and the Hero are trapped in Spielburg. StoneFrog 21:26, March 19, 2010 (UTC) : That's exactly what I'm saying -- they depicted spring as it would be in the region the game was set in, not in a way that was symbolic of spring. They did the same for winter in QfG5. Grahamburger 21:23, March 20, 2010 (UTC) :"including that Erasmus says, all the way back in QfG1, that Silmaria is where his winter home is" When does he say that? I just talked to him early on (both versions), and he calls his tower in Spielburg, his "vacation home". That would imply that Silmaria is his main home, although he hasn't specifically mentioned Silmaria at all. It also doesn't really explain his reasons for why he would vacation in spielburg (weather changes?). Even Sam's explanation of Spielburg (in QFG1 remake) implied that the kingdom may have been on the same continent as Spielburg, as he says its near the sea, rather than on an island in the sea. So I think it seems to imply that there was a change of ideas over the course of the series as to what kind of land Silmaria was going to be. In anycase does Erasmus dialogue change, does he mention Silmaria at some point? In anycase if its mentioned its probably on in the remake, I don't think Silmaria is ever mentioned at all in the original version, Sam doesn't even make reference to Silmaria.Baggins 04:27, March 20, 2010 (UTC) :I'm almost certain no mention of Silmaria is ever made until QFG3 (by Kreesha). Then QFG4 was loaded with references to Silmaria by Punny Bones and Dr. Cranium in order to leverage the next game. I've played the EGA version of QFG1 too many times to count, and Sam sure doesn't mention Silmaria there. You may be right in that they changed their mind about the geography of Silmaria after some time. StoneFrog 14:58, March 20, 2010 (UTC) ::Sam's dialogue was retconned with the inclusion of Silmara in the vga remake. Its not in the old ega version. Baggins 15:11, March 20, 2010 (UTC) : In the EGA version, I'm pretty sure they were careful about too much "foreshadowing" because they didn't want to leave disappointed fans if they weren't able to make all four of them. I was fairly certain that Erasmus said his winter home was in Silmaria in the VGA version, but I can't seem to find it in any of the Let's Plays I know of. Anyways, the point is -- QfG5 definitely takes place in winter. Also, Silmaria is part of the same continent -- the Aegean Islands are part of the continent of Europe they're just not part of the mainland, it may have been vague language or it may have been moved from the location it was originally intended to be, we have no real way of knowing. (PS doesn't the moneychanger mention the inflation in Silmaria before Kreesha mentions it? Give credit where it's due! :P) Grahamburger 21:21, March 20, 2010 (UTC) ::That depends on what definition of continent or islands your using. Political definition or geological. Geological might place the ilsands as part of the same continent, political woudn't.Baggins 11:45, June 6, 2010 (UTC) Air For that matter does anyone know how Mordavia has anything to do with air? If anything its even more earthy than Spielburg... Large part of the story deals with graveyards and the dead, and the final area happens deep underground in a mountain. Magical areas, like Zara's shop, Zauberberg Mountain, WIT, and Erasmus flying fortress in Silmaria, etc are more "air-like" than most thigns in QFG4. About the only thing airlike in Mordavia is maybe the magic fight with the fairies (spells are based on weather, like frost magic), Dr. Cranium's use of lightning, and maybe that Castle Borgov is on a cliff high above a craggy canyon, and the part with the breath chamber of the Avoozl. But you could probably sort plenty other parts of the game into other element categories... Resulka = water, etc.Baggins 16:52, March 20, 2010 (UTC) :I think that the element of air fits with the autumn scene as well, with Mordavia being a very expansive and chilly area both literally and metaphorically. StoneFrog 17:00, March 20, 2010 (UTC) ::The problem is you describe air as being "chilly", Spielburg had that same kind of description as well, if you look around the screens. Plus air was described as hot and/or temperate in both Shapeir and Silmaria. I just don't see air being shoehorned into one type of "air", when air can come in any number of varieties. The reason I brought up magical places like Zara's and Erasmus's two buildings is because the descriptions make a big deal about the air, seemingly floating above the land (often clouds are focused on). Even Keepon Laffin's shop had that kind of high "airy" feel to it as I recall.Baggins 17:06, March 20, 2010 (UTC) :::Ok, ya, lightning according to Cranium, being electrical in nature, it falls under the element of Fire, not air. Despite coming from the sky.Baggins 17:44, March 20, 2010 (UTC) : I always found that the elements were kind of balanced in most of the games, -- especially QfG2 and QfG4 it seemed. QfG1 was mostly earthy and QfG5 you were surrounded by water and the battle at the end was with an evil fire creature... so I'm basically just gonna smile and nod and believe whatever the Coles said about it. :P Grahamburger 21:26, March 20, 2010 (UTC) ::QFG4 had alot of water too, swamp, pool in erana's garden, etc. Even QFG1 had its share of water (& snow), heh heh. But ya, overall I could vaguely see it fitting "earthiness", but it also had alot of "airy" stuff too. Maybe a bit lacking in fire, though.Baggins 22:19, March 20, 2010 (UTC)